2021 Submissions Open between August 1 and September 30

Recipients will be notified by December 1

The National League of American Pen Women, Inc. awards three grants of $1,000 each in the classifications of art, letters, and music to women 35 years of age or older who are not now or ever have been a member of the National League of American Pen Women, Inc. In addition to the grant, recipients will receive a two-year honorary associate membership in NLAPW.

Applicants may not have been previously awarded a Shirley Holden Helberg Grant for Mature Women.

To apply by mail or email:

1. Send any type of proof of age.
2. Enclose or attach a one-page cover letter describing how you intend to use the grant money, and any pertinent information about yourself.
3. Send a check or money order for $35, made payable to NLAPW, to NLAPW, 1300 17th Street NW, Washington, D.C., 20036-1901. Indicate Mature Women’s Grant on the check. If submitting via email, please pay the entry fee through PayPal using the button below.
4. Enclose a self-addressed, stamped envelope with sufficient postage for the return of your submission (if you wish to have your submission returned).
5. Provide your name, address, telephone number, and email address on the cover page of your submission.
6. If applying by mail, address your submission to the appropriate chair (as listed in each category) and mail to: NLAPW, 1300 17th St., NW, Washington, D.C., 20036-1901. For emailed submissions, chair addresses are provided below.

Submissions will be accepted between August 1 and September 30, 2021. Recipients will be notified by December 1, and announced at the biennial in April 2022.

Additional Guidelines for Each Category

Art: Submit three images of your artwork in oils, watercolor, acrylic mixed media, photography, or sculpture. All work must be original. Digital submissions are preferred. Attach three jpegs of your work to your email if submitting digitally. Subject of your email should read Mature Women Grant Submission.

Send to: Mary Lou Griffin, art chair; artchair@nlapw.org.

Letters: Submit either published or unpublished manuscript in any or all of the following categories: article, drama, essay, first chapter of a novel, excerpt from a nonfiction book, short story, three poems, television script excerpt. Entry should not exceed 5,000 words.

Send to: Nancy Dafoe, letters chair; lettchair@nlapw.org.

Music: Submit two compositions: three-minute minimum performance time, five-minute maximum performance time via CD by mail or as MP3 files via email (please limit size per file to 5MB).

Send to: Kathy Pate, music chair; musichair@nlapw.org.